Explosion turbine



March 7, 1933. HOLZWARTH 1,900,815

EXPLOSION TURBINE Filed Nov. 10, 1928 d9 mnb 667 :1

Fig.2

Jnventor: ///M 5 //0L 2 1444/?77/ By WWW Patented Mar. 7, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE HANS HOLZWARTH, OF DUSSELDORF, GE

RMANY, ASSIGNOR TO HOLZWARTE GAS TURBINE 00., OF SAN FBANGISOO, CALIFORNIA, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE EXPLOSION TURBINE Application filed November 10, 1928, Serial No. 318,344, and in Germany November 24, 1927.

My invention relates to explosion turbines and more particularly to the construction of those parts of the turbine which are contacted by thecombustion gases. Stated more concretely, my invention involves a novel construction of certain parts of an explosion turbine whereby heat is abstracted from the explosion gases and utilized to superheat steam and also, if desired, to generate it, while at the same time the comparatively thick walls of the turbine frame are protected against excessive heat stresses.

In recognition of the manifold advantages which are afl'orded by a single or multiple superheating of steam by the waste heat of the gases of an explosion turbine, it has already been proposed by me to effect the superheating of the steam in coils which are arranged in the gas-filled equallzlng or exhaust chambers between the individual independent turbine units or explosion turbine stages. Even if whirling of the gas occurs in these equalizing chambers or collectors, and an eflicient transference of the.

heat of the combustion gases to the steam to superheat the latter is thereby favored, with simultaneous cooling of the gases, nevertheless there do not exist in such collectors the high gas velocities which are present in the parts of the turbine through or against which the gases travel; these are therefore quite peculiarly adapted to take up large quantities of heat which may be given up as superheating heat to working steam and it is this property of which my invention takes advantage.

Furthermore, both theory and experience have shown that the parts of the turbine frame contacted by the hot, rapidly flowing gases are subjected to severe thermal stresses due primarily to the rather thick walls of such frame made necessary by the function of resistingthe high pressure of the gases, shock, thrust, vibration, etc.; and it is one of the features of the invention that the parts of' the frame in the vicinity of the rapidly flowing explosion gases are effectively protected against dangerous heat stresses arising-from too great a temperature differential between the o posite surfaces of the walls composing sue parts.

In accordance with my invention, comparatively thin walled cooling chambers or jacketed inserts are built into those parts of the turbine through which the gases travel, such chambers being charged with working steam which is to be superheated. In this way the thick walls of the turbine frame are protected against the direct heating action of the gases by the chambers or inserts whose thin walls, because of the much smaller temperature differential between the opposite surfaces thereof, are not subjected to high thermal stresses. Among the number of individual parts or elements of the turbine which are in contact with the gases, several are particularly distinguished by the fact that the gases which stream past them have extraordinarily high velocities. These elements, at the same time, because of'their peculiar location within the turbine, make possible the construction, in a can be arranged in a simple manner; this channel may therefore be made jacketed or double-walled and'arranged, if possible, with an air-space, in the turbine housing, the latter being preferably water or oil cooled. The superheating of the working or live steam takes place in the space defined by the double walls through which it flows. Finally, a cooling chamber may be built into the nozzle itself or the nozzle can be made doublewalled; the steam flowing into the cooling chamber or into the space between the double walls effects a cooling of the gases flowing through the nozzle andiis at the same time itself superheated. It is within the scope of her 0 is of annular form;

this invention to arrange cooling chambers simultaneously in different gas heated parts of a single turbine if sufiicient wet or saturated steam, produced by the waste heat, es pecially the waste heat of the exhaust gases and of the explosion chamber walls of the same turbine plant, is on hand for superheatmg.

In the accompanying drawing which shows by way of example two embodiments of my invention without defining its limits, Fig. 1

is an axial section through a combustion chamber and the associated nozzle, rotor and housing; Fig. 2 represents a similar section through a modified form of my invention.

In both figures the letter a represents the explosion chamber in which the explosion of a charge of fuel and air takes place. The main body of the chamber is surrounded by a jacket I). In the annular space u thus formed a cooling medium, such as water or oil, is circulated; the cooling medium is conducted under pressure to the space M by means of the pump 0 which is connected by the conduit w with said space. The heat taken up by the cooling medium can be utilized for the production of steam. For example, if water is used as the cooling medium, it may be conducted out of the cooling space a through the conduit :1; and then introduced into the coil 1 located in the exhaust space 2 of the turbine, as shown in Fig. 2. The heated water is converted into steam in the coil 1 and is drawn off through the conduit 2 for further utilization. The nozzle valve is indicated at c which in its open position permits the gases to travel out of the combustion chamber and through the connecting channel (1 to the nozzle e. As the combustion gases discharge from the nozzle 6 or, should the nozzle and channel be made of one piece, from the nozzlelike mouth of the connecting channel (1, they strike the sets of blades f of the turbine wheel 9 and the stator blades g anchored in the turbine housing It. The turbine housing is also provided with spaces 2', k, l, and m for the reception of a cooling medium such as water or oil. Y

In accordance with the invention (see Fig. 1) there is built into each of the turbine elements, such as the combustion chamber outlet n and the nozzle 6, which are traversed by the hot combustion gases, a jacketed insert or cooling chamber 0 or t. The cooling chamits inner wall forms at the same time the combustion chamber outlet. Wet or saturated steam is conducted into the chamber through the conduit 3, which steam is generated by the waste heat of the turbine, as described above (and as shown in Fig. 2) and is then withdrawn by means of ipe 5 in superheated condition. An annular insert or cooling chamber t is similarly arranged within the nozzle 6; wet or saturated steam is charged into the cooling space my improved form the continuous space 9.

through the conduit 4, the steam being produced by the waste heat of the turbine and operating to cool the combustion gases passing through the nozzle 6 after which it is withdrawn through conduit 6 in a superheated state. The conduits 3 and 4 branch out of a'single conduit 2 while the pipes 5 and 6 merge into a single conduit 7 which, as indicated by the arrow, conducts the steam independently of the gases to a place of use, such as a steam engine. The cooling'medium in chamber t also abstracts heat from the combustion gases which fill the turbine rotor space, said heat also serving to superheat the working steam.

As can be seen from the drawing, the walls of the inserts or cooling'chambers 0 and t, and particularly the inner, gas-swept walls thereof, are considerably thinner than the walls of the turbine frame or housing. As a result, large quantities of heat can flow through such walls from the gases to the cooling agent without creating dangerous heat stresses, since the temperature dilferential between the opposite surfaces of such gasswept walls is much lower than in prior constructions wherein the walls of the cooling chambers were made thick as they served simultaneously as the frame of the engine and had to be strong enough to withstand the pressure of the gases, thrust, shock, etc. In

construction the heat isconducted largely through the thin walls of the inserts, while the heavier frame Walls are protected against the hightemperature and stresses due to large temperature differences avoided.

It will be understood that suitable intermittently operated fuel and air charging means (not shown) are associated with the combustion chambers and that suitable igniting means (not shown) may be provided to explode the mixture at predetermined instan'ts, the nozzle valve 0 being forced open by the exploding gases and kept open in any suitable way until the gases, which are under pressure, have escaped from the chamber, streamed throu h the channel d and nozzle e andimpinge against the blades of the rotor g, all as described, for example, in my United States Patent No. 877 ,194. As these well-known parts of an explosion turbine form no part of my invention I have deemed it unnecessary to illustrate the same.

In Fig. 2 the connecting channel d terminating in a nozzle is shown by way of example as the turbine element in contact with the combustion gases which-is employed for transferring heat from the combustion gases to working steam. This channel is made double-walled so that an enclosed space q is formed around it. The nozzle and channel in this-case consist of a single piece wherein the individual cooling spaces are combined to To the latter there is conducted, through the conduit 2, wet or dry saturated working steam which is withdrawn in superheated condition through the conduit 7. In order to provide a practicable construction permitting the inare in contact with the hot combustion gases,

. as used in the charging from the explosion chamber, suc

through which chambers working steam may be 'conductedto be superheated therein.

By the expression passageway leading from the outlet end of. the explosion chamber claims, is to be understood the element or elements along which the gases flow at high velocity upon opening of the, nozzle valve, such elements including the outlet portion of the explosion chamber and the conduit leading from said outlet portion and constructed and arranged to direct the gases to the place of use.

Variations may be resorted to within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit of the invention.

I claim:

1. The combination withan explosion use in an explosion turchamber suitable for to receive intermittent bme and adapted charges of fuel and air which are ignited.

therein, of a double walled passageway leading from the outlet end of the explosion chamber and arranged to direct the gases to a place of use, the double walls of said passageway defining a cooling chamberfor receiving a cooling medium whereby said walls are cooled, said walls being 'sufliciently thick to withstand the pressure of the gases, shock and other stresses imposed thereon, and a relatively thin walled tioned within said passageway and lining at least a. portion of the inner wallthereof so as to be directly contacted by the gases dischamber and thus protect the thick, cooled wall of such passageway against the high heat of the gases, a conduit for conducting a cooling medium to the j acket of said insert, and a conduit for withdrawing therefrom the cooling medium heated by the heat abstracted from said gases, the thin, inner, gas-swept wall of said insert being adapted to have, during the operation of the a small temperature difierential between the inner and outer surfaces thereof that no excessive stresses arise therein.

2. The combination as set forth in claim 1 wherein the first mentioned conduit conducts 1 chamber adapted steam into the cooling space ofthe jacketed insert.

3. The combination as set forth in claim 1, wherein the body of said explosion is provided with a jacket, a conduit for conducting a cooling liquid into said jacket and a con duit for withdrawing the cooling liquid in heated condition therefrom, the jackets 0f said explosionchamber and said insert being a separate, and the conduit leading into the jacket of said insert being connected with a source of steam.

4. The combination. with an explosion to receive intermittent charges of fuel and air which are ignited therein, of a conduit for the combustion gases leading from the outlet end of the chamber, at least one-jacketed insert lining at least in part the gas passageway defined by said outlet end and said conduit, said passageway be ing double walked to provide a cooling space for receiving a cooling medium, aj acket about said explosion chamber defining a cooling space, means for conducting a liquid cooling medium into said cooling space, means for generating steam with the aid of the heat contained in said liquid medium, a conduit for conducting such steam into said insert, and a conduit for withdrawing from. said insert the steam which has been superheated by the heat abstracted from the gases, the inner gas-swept jacketed insert posi 

